Resiliently expansible multisectional metallic bands



Feb. 2, 1954 M. FLAIG 2,667,739

RESILIENTLY EXPANSIBLE MULTISECTIONAL METALLIC BANDS Filed Oct. 2, 1950 INVENTOR. MAX FZfl/q ATTORNEY Patented Feb. 2, 1954 RESILIENTLY EXPANSIBLE MULTISEC- TIONAL METALLIC BANDS Max Flaig, Bridgeport, Conn.

Application October 2, 1950, Serial No. 187,991

1 Claim.

This invention relates to resiliently expansible multi-sectional metallic bands which may be used as bracelets, wrist watch straps and the like.

It is a principal object of my invention to provide a band of the character described which is a modification and improvement of the band shown in my United States Letters Patent No. 2,433,657 for Resiliently Expansible Multi-sectional Metallic Bands, dated December 30, 1947, in that the present band can be made and assembled more simply and has a greater flexibility than the band illustrated in said patent.

In general, in the aforesaid patented band, in bands illustrated in other patents and in bands made commercially wherein a plurality of pairs of telescoping links are employed, adjacent pairs of links are connected by pins, pintles, rivets or the like which, because of their tiny size and the comparatively small dimensions of the links,

must be inserted and secured in place with great care, the assembly of the band thus being a timeconsuming and relatively expensive operation.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a band of the character described having an improved construction such that the former delicate and lengthy assembly is avoided.

More specifically, it is an object of this invention to provide a band of the character described wherein adjacent pairs of telescoping links are attached to one another by means other than conventional pivotal-securing elements.

It is another specific object of this invention to provide a band of the character described wherein the means for pivotally attaching adjacent telescoping links to one another does not constitute additional members which must be manipulated and formed in the process of assembly, but rather consists of parts of the links themselves whereby to avoid handling and misplacement of tiny parts. Y

It is another object of the present invention to provide a band of the character described which when fully expanded has twice as many points of flexion as present day bands although the links are of the same length.

Other objects of the invention will in part be obvious and in part will be pointed out hereinafter.

The invention accordingly consists in the features of construction, combinations of elements and arrangements of parts which will be exemplified in the device hereinafter described and of which the scope of applicationwill be indicated in the appended claim.

In the accompanying drawings in which is iii) shown one of the various possible embodiments of the invention,

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a band embodying the instant invention, the same being shown in use as a wrist watch strap;

Fig. 2 is an enlarged top plan view of a few connected links in partially expanded position;

Fig. 3 is a sectional view taken substantially along the line 33 of Fig. 2;

Figs. 4, 5, 6 and 7 are sectional views taken substantially along the lines 4-4, 5-5, 6-6, and

"ll, respectively, of Fig. 3; and

Fig. 8 is an exploded perspective view of the two parts Which form each link.

Referring now in detail to the drawings, the reference numeral l0 denotes a band embodying the invention with its two ends pivotally secured to a wrist watch I2. It may be mentioned that, although the band is well-suited for its illustrated use as a wrist watch strap, it also may be employed, with or without suitable surface ornamentation, as a bracelet or the like.

Said band comprises a plurality of telescopical links M, each of which includes an open-ended hollow outer part l6 within which an open-ended hollow inner part It is slidably telescopically receivable in such manner that it can be shifted from a fully contracted position, in which it is almost wholly contained within the outer part, to a fully expanded position, in which a major portion of the inner part projects from the outer part. Each part is fabricated from sheet metal by suitable cutting and forming operations and has, in general, the shape of an open-ended tube of non-circular cross-section, an approximately rectangular transverse contour being shown herein.

The outer part It comprises atop wall 20, side walls 22, 24, and a bottom wall 25. Said outer part preferably is made with the two side walls 22, 24 integrally connected to the top wall 20, and the bottom wall 26 in two sections integrally connected to the side walls 22, 24 and arranged to act jointly as a single wall. The edges of the two bottom sections abut along the line 28 extending longitudinally and centrally of said bottom wall 25. The top and bottom walls 20, 25 are parallel and substantially plane, but they may be curved slightly, as exaggeratedly illustrated, so that'the external surface of the top wall 20 is convex and the external surface of the bottom wall 26 is concave in order to provide a smooth outline to the band when it is arranged in its normal elliptical shape on display or in use.

- For a reason which soon will be apparent, each side wall 22, 24 is formed with an internal channel 30 and a corresponding ridge 32 which run the full length of the outer part and are parallel to the top and bottom walls 20, 26. For the sake of appearance, I prefer to have the ridges 32 so located that one side thereof is coplanar with the bottom wall 26. Desirably the channels are of uniform cross-section throughout.

The bottom wall 28 has a pair of shallow central notches 34, 35 located at its opposite ends, these notches being of approximately the same width as and in registry with the top wall 2%.

At each end 01" the ridges'32, the part U is provided with an outwardly extending tab 32;. During the formation of the outer part, each tab is disposed to lie in the plane of the base of its associated channel 3%. The tabs have a configuration which matches that of the grooves. The purpose of the tabs is explained hereinafter.

The inner part l8 likewise consists of a top wall 40, a pair of integrally dependent side walls 52, M and a bottom wall 36, which is formed in two coplanar sections integral with the side walls 42, 44 and abutting longitudinally and centrally of the bottom wall at along a line 68. The inner part is of such configuration that it can be slidably yet snugly received within the outer part I The top and bottom walls til, 65 of the inner part l3 are, therefore, slightly curved to correspond to the curvature of the top and bottom walls 2% 26 of the outer part Iii. The side walls d2, 44 of the inner part are spaced apart a distance slightly less than the distance between the inner surfaces of the side walls 28, 2 3 of the part [6, exclusive of the grooves 39.

At each end of each of the side walls the inner part I8 is provided with outwardly extending integral ears 5i: which, when the inner part-is disposed within the outer part, are in registry One end of the top wall with the channels 32. All of the inner part includes an integral outwardly extending wing 52. The ears as and wings 52 are in the planes, respectively, of the side walls 42, M and the top wall 68. The height of the ears 59 should not exceed the depth of the chan nels 3B and the height of the wing 52 should not exceed the height of the inner part.

The length ofthe inner part iii (exclusive of the ears and wings) is less than the length of the outer part is (exclusive of the tabs). For

vmaximum expansibility, the length of the inner part should almost equal the length of the outer art. p The band aso includes a long helical tension spring whose length is sufficient when slightly expanded, for example expanded about 25%, to reach from end to end of the contracted band in. The spring is resilient enough to expand to the length of the fully opened band without acquiring any permanent distortion.

The foregoing elements constitute all the components of the band, except for the end connections, i. e., the connections to the wrist watch or other object, these connections being conventional, for instance, in the form of pintles. It will be observed that the usual pivoting means between parts is not present.

The links and springs may be assembled as follows: I 1

The ears 56 of an'inner part is are bent outwardly, for example-to lie at right angles to the planes of the side walls d2, M. Such position of the ears is best seen in Figs. 4', 6, and '7. Several such inner parts arethreaded'on a spring 54 with all the wings 52 extending in the samedirection,

4 The spring is tensed and the inner parts are spaced from one another by a distance equal to the desired spacing between inner parts under that degree of spring tension. Then the wings 52 are bent downwardly to enter between adjacent convolutions of the spring.

The mechanism employed for this purpose may be constructed simply to hold two inner parts at a time in the desired spaced relationship along the tensed spring and only to bend the wing of one part after another. Alternatively, the mechanism may be of a more elaborate nature, being designed to hold all of the inner parts of a band at one time in their proper spaced relationship along the tensed spring and to bend the wings of all of the parts at the same time.

. Next, the spring with the several inner parts attached is threaded through a first outer part It and the first, i. e. end most, inner part is located within the outer/part with an end of said inner part extending beyond the same. By way of example, with band here shown, and more particularly in Figs. 2 and 3, it is the left hand end of the first inner part which extends beyond the left hand end of the first outer part. The left hand end of the second inner part also is disposed within the first outer part. Thereupon, all four tabs 38 are bentinwardly to close. both ends of both channels 36'. This will captively secure the right hand end of the first inner part within the first outer part and also will captively secure left hand end of the second inner part within the first outer part.

A'second outer part now is slipped over the spring and inner parts, the right hand end of the second inner part and the left-hand end of the third inner part being disposed therein, whereupon all the tabs of the second outer part are closed.

This operation is repeated over the length of the band, it being understood that either an inner part, or an outer part can be the terminal part at either end of the band.

When the band is in fully contracted position,

each inner part will be disposed within its associated outer part over substantially the full length of the inner part and a tip only of each inner part will be located within the next adjacent outer part. Whenthe band is pulled to expand the same, the inner parts spread apart as the spring tenses. As each inner part moves away from the adjacent inner part, it will pull with it the preceding outer part. That is tosay, for example, the fourth inner part will pull with it the third outer part, engagement between said parts being by abutment of the cars 59 of the innerpart against the tabs 38 of the outer part. The thirol in -er part will pull the second outer part, etc. This arrangement insures the maintenance of a uniform spacing of the several outer parts as the band is expanded.

Each, link can pivot relative to the next link, the pivoting action taking place by rocking of the ears 5!! of the inner part of one link on the tabs 38 of the outer part of the next link which the ears abut. It will be observed that enough clear ance is provided between said tabs and. the channels 59 in which they are disposed to permit the requisite swinging movement, this movement being unimpeded by jamming of the inner part-inside the outer part inasmuch as the bottom wall of the outer part is cut away at the notches 3'3, 35.

In any position of the links, short of fully expanded position, the pivoting action just described is the only one which can occur.,- However, when the links are fully expanded, the ears 5!! at both ends of each inner part abut the tabs 38 at both ends of adjacent outer parts thereby permitting the pivoting action to occur intermediate the length of each link as well as at the ends thereof. In other words, at such time each inner part can pivot relative to two outer parts, this being in contrast to previous forms of expansible link construction wherein each inner part only could pivot relative to the outer part of the next link, but not the outer part of its own link, regardless of the degree of expansion. It will be observed that it is when the band is fully expanded that the greater flexibility obtainabl by providing the additional pivots is most desirable since it is then that the band is to be slipped on or off a Wrist and over the hand of a wearer.

It thus will be seen that I have provided a devic which achieves all the objects of my invention and is well adapted to meet the conditions of practical use.

As various possible embodiments might be made of the above invention, and as various changes might be made in the embodiment above set forth, it is to be understood that all matter herein described, or shown in the accompanying drawings, is to be interpreted as illustrative and not in a limiting sense.

Having thus described my invention, I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent:

A resiliently expansible multi-sectional band comprising a plurality of telescopical links, each of said links including an open-ended outer part and an open-ended inner part, each inner part being slidable within its associated outer part, each outer part having a pair of registered longitudinal internal channels with closed ends in opposite sides thereof, each inner part having a pair of ears extending outwardly away therefrom adjacent each end thereof, the ears on each end being on opposite sides of th inner part and in registry, one of said pair of cars, being slidable in the channels of the associated outer part and the other of said pair of cars in the channels of the outer part of an adjacent link, each inner part having an extension at an end thereof bent inwardly thereof, and a long tension spring extending through several of said links, each extension passing between adjacent convolutions of the spring, said links pivoting relative to one another at points of abutment between a pair of cars of one link and the ends of the channels in an adjacent link.

MAX FLAIG.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 311,722 Cottle Feb. 3, 1885 687,217 Fritschle Nov. 28, 1991 1,056,528 Foster Mar. 18, 1913 1,927,044 Nelson Sept. 19, 1933 2,302,426 Domler Nov. 17, 1942 2,517,011 Meyers Aug. 1, 1950 2,518,507 Valcourt Aug. 15, 1950 2,608,050 Bender Aug. 26, 1952 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 470,601 France June 19, 1914 

